Meet the Author

The FermentedlyChallenged blog has been retired since the end of October 2016. It has been a great 9 year run. Thanks to all the readers and brewery staff for all your support in the past. I'm living in the Denver metro area and working in the Cable TV industry now. Cheers and enjoy beer responsibly. Follow along on social media - @ChipperDave on Twitter and on Facebook.

Friday, December 30, 2011

A new brewery is coming to Fort Collins, slated to open sometime in late Spring to early Summer of 2012 and goes by the name of Black Bottle Brewery. I was invited to the home of the head brewer and owner - Sean Nooks - who lives in a home in Timnath, Colorado and has been doing all of his brewing out of his garage.

Sean was born and raised in Fort Collins and is a master Auto Technician as his current job. He's been homebrewing extensively for the last 6 or more years. Sean is a member of the Liquid Poets Society - a homebrew club in Fort Collins and has participated in shadow programs at both New Belgium and at C.B. and Potts.

Currently, Sean brews on a well made 25 gallon Pilot System which he intends to use at the brewery for coming up with new recipes. Sean has a lot of plans for the brewery and plans several different series of beers which he will offer once he opens for business.Machete Series - a collection of stronger beers that go against traditional recipes.

No Season Series - this will be his off the wall stuff that can be made and drank anytime of year and isn't tied to a particular season.

Sloppy Seconds Series - beers made from the second runnings of some of his primary recipes. These beers are intended to be much lower in alcohol content and extremely sessionable. Some of these lower ABV beers will be called his "Social Security" brews, part of his Small Ale Project, that have a maximum of 3% ABV. Sean claims you can still made some awesome tasting beers that don't have to be higher in alcohol. These will be a monthly brew and be available at a lower cost.

Earlier this year, Sean was a moment away from signing on a lease for a building in an old 1920's era building in downtown Fort Collins but backed out of it at the last minute due to some advice. Turns out he would have had to make over $50,000 worth of electrical improvements to that building in order to get that facility useable and licensed.

Sean believes he has finally found a great location, but won't reveal it to the public until he's signed on the lease agreement. All he wanted me to say is that the final building won't be next to all the other breweries in Fort Collins, but it will certainly be "bike-able" to it via the popular bike paths in town and be more centrally located. He hopes to sign a lease in January.

Black Bottle Brewery plans to open up initially with 15 of it's own beers and have a total of 40 taps on the wall. Sean wants to offer up several guest taps and offer his clientele a wide variety of beers. Not only his own, but also with some of the best the region has available.

There won't be any flagship beers, rather, Sean wants his customers to determine the flagships based upon what they like best. Black Bottle beers will be available no tap and he plans to sell them in bombers and in 750ml bottles. He plans on putting in a special growler filling station that incorporates filling along with CO2 to keep his beers at their freshest. Bottles won't be part of the initial opening phase but will be added later as part of Phase 2 of his business plan.

Don't expect to see any firkins, but rather he'll end up doing several regular add-ons to this best beers.

Why the name Black Bottle Brewery? Sean stated that originally way back when, most beer bottles were originally black in color and thought it was cool to bring back the old style. The color itself is "dark and edgy". Today, you don't see black bottles anymore because that color glass tends to be more fragile than brown, green or clear colored glass. Expect to see their growlers made out of something black - it may be glass or it may even be ceramic.

Upcoming beers from Black Bottle Brewery:

The following beers comprise some of the beers you'll likely find on tap from time to time at Black Bottle Brewery. While none of these beers will be considered a Flagship beer (he's not doing any) they will be constantly rotating with some experimentation done on them from time to time.

Dirty Hippie - This light colored brew is best described as an over-hopped wheat beer - or Wheat PA so to speak. It's light, cloudy, unfiltered and built at a sesssionable 4.7% ABV. It's distinctly different, not like any wheat beer I've ever tasted. More hop yet with a distinctive wheat taste.

Floozy - This is Sean's Abbey-style wheat. It uses only all American ingredients. It too is cloudy with a very nice nose. It's also sessionable at 4.8% ABV. It used west coast hops (Cascade and Willamette) and is light and refreshing. I tasted some clove and hop up front. It's slightly tart and very tasty. Don't expect to find any fruit here.

El Diablo Manzana - a hard cider - yes, Black Bottle is going to make hard ciders too! This tasty cider is nicely sweet and has no preservatives. It's made with orange blossom honey added and comes highly carbonated. It's a very easy drinking hard cider.

Braggot - this is a yet to be named brew made with half part clover honey and half part Pale Ale. Sean blended 10 gallons of each into his 20 gallon batch. The two parts were fermented together with a wine yeast. This clear yellow braggot was over 6 months old and was wonderful. It has a very sharp nose. The taste reminded me of a mead up front then on the back end I got something totally different - the malt! It's honey sweet yet a tad funky like a saison. Another uniquely different brew. All of Sean's friends just rave about it.

Roll Down the Windows Dad - this is classified as a Smoked Lager, made as a porter with German Smoked malt and a Bohemian lager yeast. The name originates from memories of his father smoking in the car. It's an odd name, but so are his brews - different and unexpected. This stronger brew weighed in at 8.2% ABV. It immediately reminded me of an Alaskan Smoked Porter. Sean prefers to drink this one cold. It's roasty, smoky, black and with a dark brown head. It's thick, tongue coating and a good quality smoked brew.

English Porter - this one also has yet to be named. This porter is also a a Trappist blend and is similar to a Flanders Red and made with Brett. It actually has 4 different strains of yeast including a Belgian ale yeast. There is also molasses in the recipe for some background. The result is a black, subtle sour ale ale that's not too tart. While it is dark, it is not roasty - rather it's smooth and easy drinking with a nice mild presence of Brett. I was digging this brew. It weighed in around 7.8% ABV but the alcohol is well hidden in this drier beer.

All Says It's On - an Imperial Rye Saison. This brew poured a dark orange with red highlights and a nice big off-white head. It was very well carbonated. The taste is surprisingly awesome. It's somewhat sweet and tangy with a good amount of caramel malt goodness. The beer was made with regular Rye and some Chocolate Rye. The rye adds a nice malt background that's tangy sweet and changes the color and complexity. While it's darker than most, it wasn't roasty at all. Very clean tasting. It was one of my favorite samples.

Just A Minor Threat - an Imperial IPA. This was the last sample I had during the visit. It's a 2 malt and 1 hop (Centennial) IPA. it's best described looking like an orange haze and weighed in at 10.8% ABV. It was piney, but not overly hopped. There wasn't much crystal malt added, mostly all 2-row. All single hopped from the same harvest.

What was amazing about Sean's brews was that there were many of them and all of them were from very different ends of the beer style spectrum. He stated that his beers have "A.D.D. - so don't expect normalcy" in his recipes or selection. Expect the unexpected with Black Bottle Brewery. He tends not to follow style guidelines too closely and likes to break the mold. He wants to take his beers in all different directions.

If beer and hard cider weren't enough, Sean also makes his own wines which he also plans to offer at his brewery. There will be a little bit of everything.

There's certainly a lot to look forward to in 2012 for Black Bottle Brewery. Look for news coming soon of his final location selection and plans for opening day.

(Equipment pictures courtesy of Sean Nook - Black Bottle Brewery)

Update: Black Bottle Brewery opened for business on December 1, 2012. See the coverage of opening day including a photo gallery.

This article came from FermentedlyChallenged.com - a Colorado beer blog.
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If you're in Northern Colorado this weekend and are still looking for a fun place to ring in the New Year, then the Fort Collins Brewery & Gravity 1020 (restaurant) have just the thing for you - a Bootlegger's Bash in the the old Prohibition style.

There are plenty of openings still available for a full evening of fine food, beer pairings, dancing, casino games, live music and a midnight champagne toast. The following poster and video have all the details you need for this special one-night only event. Dress up in your finest 20's and 30's costumes and live it up on New Year's Eve. Call (970) 682-2260 for more details and reservations.

Click to enlarge.Bootlegger's Bash video:

If you can't view the video via RSS or email, please visit the blog post.

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

No time spent in Loveland is complete without a visit to Grimm Brothers Brewhouse, especially now that they've opened up their new expanded tap room.

Finding this place wasn't too hard, although the first brewery sign we saw that day was the old entrance to their main brewery. The sign on the door pointed across the complex to another building where their new tap room was located. It was just a short 2 minute walk from one door to the other and we were greeted to a nearly full capacity of faithful drinkers when we arrived.

Grimm Brothers Brewhouse and Tap Room was very busy for a Tuesday afternoon. There was a short line up at the taps to get brews, but it didn't take long for us to get 3 sample trays and take a seat. Normally, their sampler has 5 beers, but they were fresh out of their Porter, so we sat down with 4 different beers. Luckily, other people were kind enough to share a table with our party of 3.

Grimm Brothers samplers are 4 ounces each and come in nice logo'ed glassware. The room itself was brand spanking new with freshly painted walls, a huge walk-up bar with a fancy huge flat-screen animated menu board and a nice t-shirt selection next to the cashier.
There were a lot of tables here, nearly every one were full. This was indeed a popular place that day.

Here are some brief notes on each beer starting from their lightest colored to their darkest colored. Beers are ranked from one star (*) lowest to 5 stars (*****) highest.

Sampling the Grimm Brothers brews:

- The Griffin - a German-style Hefeweizen - this brew was pale and cloudy. It was a nice light wheat brew, a step up than other local wheat beers I've had, classier and more traditional. Hints of citrus, clove and peppers. (***)

- Snow Drop - a Kottbusser Style Ale - A German beer that broke law an tradition by adding oats, honey and molasses and a bit more hops. This brew wasn't sweet, yet bitter. It had a different taste with honey up front and the oats and hops coming afterwards. Bitter and bready - very unique. Can't really compare it to other brews I've had. Snow Drop got better as it went along. A pale and cloudy brew. (**1/2)

- The Fearless Youth - a Munich Dunkel lager - This brew had a nice totys dark malt taste, rich without being too heavy. I loved this! Some Chocolately notes along with some breadiness. This brew calls out to be paired with a brat! Not too bitter nor sweet. One of their best standard offerings. (***1/2)

- Little Red Cap - their Gold medal winning Dusseldorf Style Alt Bier - Nice bitterness up front. Some dark roast, but the hops are the highlight here. A very good brew. Mahogany in color and fairly clear brew. (***)

- Brett Aged Bock - Specialty beer - this was a very dark brown brew but seemed to have some reddish-purple edges. A classic Brett aroma. This beer was tart and tangy. Me love!!! Semi-sweet caramel malt. Lightly sour goodness. On a sourness scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high) - this brew scored a 2 puckers. This was my absolute favorite brew of all the samples! I can't seem to get away from a sour brew. (****)

- Master Thief - a German Porter - This was a late arrival to the table as they were out of this when we ordered our samplers. A very dark brown, nearly black brew. There was a strong coffee-like roast to this brew. It drank more like a stout. It was smooth, but I wouldn't want a lot of this. Tongue coating, roasty and bitter. More so than other porters I've had. OK. (**1/2)

My group took a vote and we named the Brett Aged Bock, The Griffin and Little Red Cap the best of the bunch. There were a couple other specialty brews on tap that day but we couldn't stick around to sample all of them.

One other thing of note - I just love the artwork they did for their brews. Whoever was their artist really did an outstanding job on the designs. You can see of of them in the video below.

After attending Big Beaver Brewing and Grimm Brothers back to back, we thought it had been a most enjoyable day. I will definitely had back to Grimm Brothers again very soon now that I've sampled their wares. I can see why this place was so popular.

This article came from FermentedlyChallenged.com - a Colorado beer blog.
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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Denver is quickly becoming known for it's unique and outstanding beer culture. One could easily say that about the rest of the state as well. The folks over as VisitDenver.com have put together a short video that spotlights the ever growing beer community that is growing around Denver and the state.

Check out the following video and see what you think. It includes several of the stops from the Denver Beer Bus Tour during this year’s Great American Beer Festival. Is this a good way to spread the word about Denver or what?

This article came from FermentedlyChallenged.com - a Colorado beer blog.Don't miss another article. Subscribe to Fermentedly Challenged by RSS today. If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing, retweeting, Stumbling or +1'ing this to let others know about it. Cheers!

Loveland has been invaded by big beavers! Well at least one anyway. Yesterday, I finally took a visit over to one of Loveland Colorado's littlest breweries - Big Beaver Brewing Company. It's a small, community brewery that caters to the growler crowd.

If you blink, you might miss their small sign outside along US 34 heading west through town just past Wilson Avenue. Recently, they added a front entrance from their recent acquisition of a new front room in their business complex. The front room, while currently undecorated, will soon become their new tap room, while their side room (named Saint Peter after the former church that used to reside there) will remain for the overflow crowd. The small back tap room which now seats just around a dozen or so will end up being just their brewing operations.

My small group of 3 happened to arrive early at Big Beaver on a Tuesday around 1:30pm mistakenly thinking they had opened around 1pm. Turns out the sign said they opened at 2pm. Doh! On the way back to our car we just happened to run into the owner of Big Beaver, Peter Villeneuve, and he told us to come on in anyway as his staff was already there and about ready for customers anyway. He told us about his expansion plans and invited us to sit down.The tasting room is essentially a huge hand-built bar that blocks off the brewing room. There you'll see 4 fermentation tanks and a couple of large brew pots. Our hostess told us they had recently added two extra fermenters around Thanksgiving time and doubled their brewing capacity.

We opted to get their 8-beer 2oz sampler tray and 1 of their specialty brews and give them each a try. Here are some brief notes on each beer starting from their lightest colored to their darkest colored. Beers are ranked from one star (*) lowest to 5 stars (*****) highest.

Shaved Tail Ale - This was a Belgian-style ale. Golden yellow in color with a pleasant Belgian yeast aroma. It was softly sweet and low in bitterness. 5% ABV - 25 IBU. Very light and enjoyable. (***)

Wonder Wiener Wheat - 5% ABV - 28 IBU. A very pale hazy yellow brew. It had a slight "tang" to it and a bit of a banana estery aroma, but in a good way. This is an easy drinking wheat that I could end up having a lot of. Not bad at all. (***)

Bust A Nut Brown Ale - 5% ABV and 30 IBU. A very light brown colored ale and clear (not hazy). It was light bodied and lowly hopped. A semi-sweet brown. It reminded me a lot of New Castle Brown Ale. A tad lighter in taste than I expected. (**1/2)

Red Arse Ale - 5.2% ABV - 27 IBU. This brew was mostly golden with some red tinges on the sides. A classic "Red ale" taste that was smooth without being too hopped. I couldn't smell much hops in this but it certainly had a hoppy taste. This brew also had a bit of a "tang" to it, yet it was smooth and enjoyable. (***)

Screw the Pooch Pale Ale - 6.2% ABV - 38 IBU - This brew was classified as a California Pale. It was a bit hoppier than the Red Arse. Again, I couldn't smell the hops as well as I could taste it. The glass that I had an aroma that reminded me of sanitizer and masked the true aroma of this beer. It was OK overall, but not my favorite. (**)

Potent Peter IPA - 6.2% ABV - 50 IBU. This was their hoppiest brew. A slightly darker yellow and clear looking. It had a nice bitterness without being too hoppy. A decent IPA yet average. (**1/2)

Whiskey Dick Stout - 7.2% ABV - 35 IBU - Here was a very smooth and very dark brew that was directly infused with whiskey. It wasn't aged in a barrel. No, this had whiskey added directly to the brew. It starts out as a mild stout without much roastiness and hits you with a strong whiskey back end flavor. My group was mixed on this one. It's definitely different and warrants further study. (**1/2)

Beaver Stubble Stout - 6.9% ABV - 35 IBU - This one ended up being our group favorite. This very dark brew had a very nice roasted malt flavor and texture. It's a highly drinkable stout and one we wanted more of. We ended up getting a growler of this one to go. Yum. (****)

Burning Beaver Ale - 5.2% ABV - 25 IBU. We opted to try one of their specialty beers and this one was a Chile beer. It had just enough mild chile heat to notice without being too spicy to enjoy. It was a dark yellow color and slightly cloudy. Not bad at all and well balanced. This is a chile beer I could easily drink. (***)

I was pleasantly surprised on how easily drinkable all of these beers were. None of them were harsh and most of them were low enough in alcohol that you could make session brews out of them.

Big Beaver has no plans to bottle their brews or distribute to restaurants in kegs. They want to stay a small community brewery that caters primarily to the growler crowd and locals. They were offered a tap at the Budweiser Event Arena in Loveland during the Eagles hockey games, but they had to refuse as they felt they couldn't brew enough beer to keep up with the demand that would be needed.

It's actually nice to see a brewery that knows the boundaries that it wants to stick to, at least for the time being. Loveland may be a small to medium sized town, but it's quickly becoming a brewery town much like Fort Collins.

I'll definitely be back to Big Beaver again soon. I enjoyed the small intimate atmosphere and even ran into an old friend while I was there (hey Bob!). Check them out sometime.

This article came from FermentedlyChallenged.com - a Colorado beer blog.
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Monday, December 26, 2011

Crooked Stave's color wheel just got a bit more colorful. Just before Christmas, Crooked Stave announced the release of two new beers in their Wild Wild Brett Series that should start hitting Colorado liquor shelves this week, just in time for New Year's Eve celebrations.

The first new brew is their Wild Wild Brett Yellow described as follows:

"The third installment of the series was inspired by the savory sweet combinations found in southern Indian cuisine through incorporating honey, turmeric, mango, coriander and additional spices. Yellow pours a golden hue combining tropical fruit and complex spice aromas with earthy citrus flavors and a dry tart finish."

W.W.B.Y. was conditioned for months in their special oak foeder. The other new release is their Wild Wild Brett Green and is noted for it's "absurdly" hoppy notes. Green's label describes this beer like this:

"Green, the fourth installment of this series is our nod to absurdly hopped beers. Showcasing the Australian Galaxy hop, W.W.B.G. used 4 lbs of hops per barrel with dark tropical fruit hop characteristics dominating the flavor and aroma."

W.W.B.G was both fermented and conditioned in a neutral oak barrel which made it easier for them to dry hob the beer multiple times over the aging period. It resulted in an unfiltered "wild ale" with similar character. The hops will dominate this brew more than the Brett, but as time passes, the hop character will fade and let their house Brett character come out.

This article came from FermentedlyChallenged.com - a Colorado beer blog.Don't miss another article. Subscribe to Fermentedly Challenged by RSS today. If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing, retweeting, Stumbling or +1'ing this to let others know about it. Cheers!

Friday, December 23, 2011

March is still a time for playing in the snow, skiing, boarding and keeping warm. It's also nearly time to start thinking about Spring. While the number of events scheduled during March tend to be low, there are always drink and food specials going on at most Colorado breweries. And let's not forget about Saint Patrick's Day events. This page will be updated often as news of upcoming March events are announced.

Here is a list of the upcoming Colorado beer fests, beer dinners, tapping parties, seminars and related events for March 2012. These listings are updated every week, so stop back often to see the latest happenings with beer in Colorado. Dates and events are subject to change at any time so please check with the event web site before attending. If you know about another event not listed here please add a comment below.

Gary Brewsey: Men's Beer Club
Every Monday Night
The Mayor of Old Town - 632 S. Mason St.
Fort Collins, CO
Time: 5:30pm - 6:45pm
Cost: $5 taster flight
Join the growing number of men who meet each week at The Mayor of Old Town to talk beer and learn about it's history, the styles and how it's made. Select samples from the 100 different beers on tap each week.Facebook Page

Beer Bettys: Ladies Only Beer ClubEvery Tuesday Night
The Mayor of Old Town - 632 S. Mason St.
Fort Collins, CO
Time: 6:00pm
This free to join Ladies Only club meets every Tuesday at 6pm. They are a grass roots group of women who are interested in learning more about beer, it's history, the flavors and more. Sample from over 100 different beers on tap.Facebook Page

Denver Restaurant WeekFebruary 25 - March 9, 2012 - Two weeks
Restaurants all across Denver
Denver Restaurant Week is a two-week celebration of the culinary scene in Denver. Participating restaurants will offer a multi-course dinner for the fixed price of $52.80 for two, or $26.40 for one (not including tax or gratuity). Pair that meal with a great Colorado craft brew. Details at www.denver.org/denverrestaurant/.

Coaltrain's Barrel Aged Beer TastingMarch 1, 2012 (Thursday)
The Warehouse Restaurant - 25 W. Cimarron Street
Colorado Springs, CO
Time: 6:00pm
Cost: $48
Join Coltrain Wine & Spirits at The Warehouse restaurant for the greatly anticipated Barrel-Aged Beer Tasting. The line-up is killer, with an imported beer flight including a couple oak-aged Trappist ales, followed by a domestic flight dominated by bourbon and whiskey barrel aging. This is a sit-down event that begins promptly at 6pm. The Warehouse kitchen will provide two food courses to pair with the beer flights as well as a light dessert. The cost per taster is $48 inclusive. Call Coaltrain at (719) 475-9700 to make your required credit card reservation. You may pay in advance over the phone or in person at Coaltrain. Their 3-day cancellation policy is in effect; ‘no-shows’ or late cancellations will be charged half price ($24).Event details.

Mazer Cup InternationalMarch 2-3, 2012 (Friday - Saturday)
Boulder Outlook Hotel - 800 28th Street
Boulder, CO
The MAZER CUP, was started by Ken Schramm, Dan McConnell and Mike O'Brien and quickly became the de-facto standard for mead competitions in North America and set the standard for all of the mead-only competitions that followed.www.mazercup.com

Frozen Dead Guy DaysMarch 2-4, 2012 (Friday - Sunday)
Nederland, CO
Cost: FDGD VIP Pass $150 - only 50 available, Coffin Race entry $70, Polar Plunge $20 per person
Time: See Events Schedule
This annual event celebrates putting Granpa Bredo on ice to one day find a way to bring him back to life. For a town like Nederland that thrives on the colorful, the offbeat, and the weird, Frozen Dead Guy Days is a fitting way to end the short days of winter and head into the melting snows of spring. Trygve Bauge calls it “Cryonics’ first Mardi Gras.” Come for a big line-up of live music, Coffin Races, Polar Plunges, Frozen T-shirt contests, Ice Turkey Bowling, Brain Freeze contests and of course lots of good Colorado craft beer in the ReAnimate Yourself Beer Tent in Chipeta Park (sponsored by Avery Brewing and Left Hand Brewing).frozendeadguydays.org

Yelp's Crafternoon DelightMarch 4, 2012 (Sunday)
Space Gallery - 765 Santa Fe Drive
Denver, CO
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Cost: Free - $5 donation suggested for a charity.
This is the first event of Yelp's Crafternoon Delight - a series of events celebrating independent Colorado beer, wine, or spirits plus a plethora of DIY stations brought to you by Denver Craft Ninjas (http://craftninjas.net/) at Space Gallery. Please remember to RSVP for only ONE event or you will NOT be allowed to attend any of them. On Sunday, March 4th they're celebrating some of the wonderful breweries Colorado has to offer with tastings from the following breweries: Twisted Pine, Renegade Brewing, Colorado Cider, Oskar Blues, Asher Brewing and Breckenridge Brewing. Plus they'll have small bites from several vendors including: Mile High Vienna Stand, Buenos Aires Pizzeria, Frills Cake Shop, KIND snacks, Skoops, PopChips and Baker St Pretzels. This even is free with a $5 suggested donation per person to benefit Denver Urban Gardens.Website

2nd Annual Red Rocks Ice Fest & Chili Cook OffMarch 4, 2012 (Sunday)
Red Rocks Country Club - 16235 W. Belleview Ave.
Morrison, CO
Time: 11:00am to 3:00pm
Cost: $5 Admission includes chili samples. Beer sold separately.
Experience Red Rocks Country Club as you've never seen it before. Witness a dazzling display of ice sculptures coming to life before your eyes as more than a dozen amateur and professional artists compete for prizes. Warm up with ice carnival games, putting and driving contests, hot beverages, beers, snacks and a Chili Cook Off.Website

10th Annual Boulder Strong Ale FestivalMarch 9-10, 2012 (Friday - Saturday)
Avery Brewing Company - 5763 Arapahoe Ave.
Boulder, CO
Time: Mar. 9th - 5pm - 10pm, Mar. 10th 12pm - 5pm
Cost: $40 per person, tix available starting Jan. 6th at 9am.
Featuring over 80 different strong beers (beers greater than 8% ABV) from some of the best breweries across the country, with many beers that are not otherwise available in the State of Colorado. Profits from the fest will be donated to craft beer industry friend Danny Williams, to assist with medical costs for his ongoing battle with cancer. Beers, Music, and Commemorative Pint Glass included with Admission.www.averybrewing.com

Oskar Blues Beer DinnerMarch 14 - 15, 2012 (Wed. & Thurs.)
The Moot House - 2626 S. College Ave.
Fort Collins, CO
Time: 6:00pm each night - RSVP required
Cost: $34.95 per person
Join Oskar Blues at the Moot House for this special beer dinner to be held across two evenings. There will be a five course meal paired with 5 different Oskar Blues beers. Call (970) 226-2121 for info and reservations.www.themoothouse.com

Farmhouse Nocturnum Release PartyMarch 16, 2012 (Friday)
Trinity Brewing Company - 1466 Garden of the Gods
Colorado Springs, CO
Time: 5PM
Cost: on a per beer basis
Farmhouse Nocturnum is a member of the new family of strong Belgian ales known as "Super Saisons." The name Nocturnum is inspired by the intimidating jet black color of the beer. Spiced with a blend of sarsaparilla, sassafras, rosemary, coriander, hibiscus and cumin for a perfect balance of spiciness, sweetness, and acidity. At 12.5% ABV, this Saison was once the strongest locally brewed spiced Belgian ale.

St. Patrick's Day Celebrations
March 17, 2012 (Saturday)
Various locations
Stay tuned for details of upcoming St. Patrick's Day celebrations. Since it falls on a Saturday this year - look for a lot of weekend parties in what is one of America's largest holidays for drinking and wearin' o' the green!

Blarney on the BlockMarch 17, 2012 (Saturday)
9th Street Plaza - downtown
Greeley, CO
Time: 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Bagpipes, drums, one block parade, corned beef & cabbage and MORE!!! Bring the whole family and get your green on! Come to the 9th Street Plaza at 2:00 on St Patrick's Day - March 17th for Greeley's first annual "Blarney On The Block. Catch the Fort Collins Pipe Band at 2pm and we'll follow them down the block. There will be prizes for parade participants including a couple chances to win tickets to see The Celtic Tenors that night at the UCCC. Sponsored in part by Patrick's Irish Pub and The Rio in Greeley. And yes, there will be plenty of beer available from downtown businesses.

St. Paddy's Day Express
March 17, 2012 (Saturday)
Rio Grande Scenic Railroad
Alamosa, CO
Time: 10:00am
Cost: Depending on class: $49 to $69.
Everyone is Irish for a day on board the St. Paddy’s Day Train. Wear green, grab your friends, drink your pints and let them do the driving. Now, there’s no historical evidence that suggests the Irish invented the sing-a-long, but ask any Irish person and they will convince you of it, beyond a shadow of a doubt. With live music on board featuring traditional Irish pub songs, you can pretend you’re in Dublin, put your arm around the person next to you and sway along – in traditional sing-a-long fashion. Green beer provided by San Luis Valley Brewery at additional cost. Website.

Kegs, Eggs & Blarney SconesMarch 17, 2012 (Saturday)
Pikes Peak Brewing Company - 1756 Lake Woodmoor Drive
Monument, CO
Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Cost: $20 advance RSVP, or $25 at the door
Wake up with some Irish! Your entry fee will get you a beautiful Irish breakfast, a glass of juice, and a souvenir glass full of your favorite beer or beermosa. Bring that same glass back later that night for one half price beer. At 10am they will release their new PPBC Irish Stout. Call (719) 208-4098.

Telluride Scavenger HuntMarch 17, 2012 (Saturday)
Telluride Ski Resort - 565 Mountain Village Blvd.
Telluride, CO
Time: 9:00am to 4:00pm
Cost: $10 entry (for charity and the event) plus ski pass
This is a day to don your best costume, chase chickens, search for bigfoot and answer some ridiculous riddles all while skiing, raising money for a great local non-profit, and bonding with your friends - or the person you meet in the check-in line and decided to sign up as a team. So! Get a buddy or 4, bring $10 per person and your ski pass, or purchase a lift ticket, and join the fleet of New Belgium characters on the slopes at for a Scavenger Hunt like no other... Registration begins at 9am! Benefiting Telluride Adaptive Sports Program.Website

TAG Beer Dinner
March 20, 2012 (Tuesday)
TAG Restaurant - 1441 Larimer Street
Denver, CO
Time: 7pm
Cost: $58 per person, plus tax & gratuity
Come join us in Denver for a special dining event featuring the beers of Great Divide Brewing Company paired with selections from MTH Farm Natural Lamb. There will be five courses, each with a unique beer/food pairing specially prepared by TAG chefs to tempt your palate. Seating is limited, please RSVP for reservation (303) 996-9985 or visit their website.www.tag-restaurant.com

Beer and Apps TastingMarch 21, 2012 (Wednesday)
Tap and Handle - 307 S. College Ave.
Fort Collins, CO
Time: 7:30pm
Cost: $25 in advance
Tap and Handle will be having a Beer and Apps tasting with Firestone Walker and Epic Brewing. Elizabeth from Firestone Walker will be there to talk about Firestone Walker while Matt from American Eagle Distributing will be there to spread the gospel of Epic. There will be 5 pours from each brewery with chef matched appetizers to enhance the experience. Tickets are 25 dollars in advance and are available at Tap and Handle. There will be a double secret probation beer surprise at the end of the night. Check them out on Facebook.

Grapes vs Grains Beer DinnerMarch 22, 2012 (Thursday)
Austin's American Grill - 2815 Harmony Road
Fort Collins, CO
Time: 6:00pm
Cost: $49.95 per person, reservations required (970) 267-6532
Time once again for a battle between wine and craft beer to see which pairs best with a specially prepared four course menu. You'll get both a glass of wine and beer with each course and they you get to vote for which paired best with that course. Featured this month are beers from Great Divide Brewing Company and wines from Jason Stickley of The Hess Collection. Please call for details and reservations.www.AustinsAmericanGrill.com

All Hopped Up For Water Food & Beer Pairing DinnerMarch 22, 2012 (Thursday)
Freshcraft - 1530 Blake Street
Denver, CO
Time: 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Cost: $45 per person not including tip.
Celebrate World Water Day with a four course family style food & beer pairing dinner. This dinner is part of a month long collaboration with Water for People, All Hopped Up For Water. A portion of the proceeds from this dinner will be donated to Water for People to aid in ending water poverty. Along with Water for People they are teaming up with Avery Brewing Co., Boulevard Brewing Co., New Belgium Brewing Co. & Victory Brewing Co. This is a family style dinner where all attendees will be seated together at a community table. Limited to 30 attendees.Ticket website

Wine Fest 30March 23, 2012 (Friday)
Hilton Fort Collins
Fort Collins, CO
Time: VIP 6pm-10pm, General Admission 7pm-10pm, Private Reserve Tasting 5pm-6pm.
Cost: VIP $100, General Admission $75, Private Tasting: additional $50.
While this many be a wine festival/benefit, they also will have a great supply of local Colorado craft beers in stock from Odell Brewing, The Fort Collins Brewery and New Belgium. Over 500 wines from around the world, great fresh food from local restaurants and caterers, plus an auction. Proceeds to benefit Disabled Resource Services. Wine Fest is among the largest and best-received wine tasting events in Colorado.
Website: www.winefestfc.org

Beers N Boards Skateboard Art ShowMarch 23, 2012 (Friday)
Trinity Brewing Company - 1466 Garden of the Gods
Colorado Springs, CO
Time: 5:00pm
Come out and support local artists and check out some pretty amazing hand crafted skateboards. Enjoy a brew or two while you're there.

Eldora Scavenger HuntMarch 24, 2012 (Saturday)
Eldora Ski Resort
Nederland, CO
Time: 9:00am to 4:00pm
Cost: $10 entry (for charity and the event) plus ski pass
This is a day to don your best costume, chase chickens, search for bigfoot and answer some ridiculous riddles all while skiing, raising money for a great local non-profit, and bonding with your friends - or the person you meet in the check-in line and decided to sign up as a team. So! Get a buddy or 4, bring $10 per person and your ski pass, or purchase a lift ticket, and join the fleet of New Belgium characters on the slopes at for a Scavenger Hunt like no other... Registration begins at 9am! Benefitting Telluride Adaptive Sports Program.Website

Beer on Beer Action with the Ladies of AveryMarch 29, 2012 (Thursday)
Avery's Barrel-Aging Cellar - 5757 Arapahoe Ave.
Boulder, CO
Time: 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Cost: $15 available in the Avery Tap Room
What pairs best with beer? More beer! Join the ladies of Avery for a guided tasting of their beers paired with their exclusive counterparts, available only in the Avery Tap Room. Follow up an OUT OF BOUNDS STOUT with an OUT OF SIGHT coffee stout. Pair an AVERY IPA with a DRY-HOPPED IPA and a WINTER'S DAY IPA. Compare TRODGOR THE BURNINATOR with its spicy brother, CAPSAICINATOR. Do a side-by-side taste of EREMITA III and our new Tap Room-only sour, BOULDER WEISSE. Through these pairings, we will learn about the processes of adding adjuncts like coffee and spices to beer, and we will taste the delightful effects those adjuncts can have on our brews! They want this Beer on Beer Action to be an intimate event, so space is limited.

Great Divide Beer DinnerMarch 29, 2012 (Thursday)
The Lobby American Grille - 2191 Arapahoe Street
Denver, CO
Time: 6:30pm
Cost: $50 per person
A carefully prepared pairing of several different courses with some of the best Great Divide beers. Call (303) 997-9911 for reservations or go through OpenTable.

Loveland Scavenger HuntMarch 31, 2012 (Saturday)
Loveland Ski Area - Exit 216 Interstate 70
Georgetown, CO
Time: 9:00am to 4:00pm
Cost: $10 entry (for charity and the event) plus ski pass
This is a day to don your best costume, chase chickens, search for bigfoot and answer some ridiculous riddles all while skiing, raising money for a great local non-profit, and bonding with your friends - or the person you meet in the check-in line and decided to sign up as a team. So! Get a buddy or 4, bring $10 per person and your ski pass, or purchase a lift ticket, and join the fleet of New Belgium characters on the slopes at for a Scavenger Hunt like no other... Registration begins at 9am! Benefiting Telluride Adaptive Sports Program.Website

Open up those 2012 calendars and your wallets, Avery Brewing Company is already planning four big events for 2012 at their brewery and next year is going to be great by the look of it. Below is a press release from Avery dated December 22, 2011 outlining the upcoming events for what will surely be a very busy year for Avery Brewing.

Boulder, CO – Avery Brewing Company is pleased to announce the dates for four unique craft beer experiences in 2012, to be kicked off by the 10th Annual Boulder Strong Ale Festival in March. All four festivals will take place at the Boulder, Colorado based brewery, and three of four will feature beers generously donated from top craft brewers nationwide.

10th Annual Boulder Strong Ale Festival

Friday & Saturday, March 9th & 10th, 2012, Avery Brewing Company

Tickets ($40) go on sale from www.averybrewing.com on Friday, January 6th at 9AM MST.
Featuring over 80 different strong beers (beers greater than 8% abv) from some of the best breweries across the country, with many beers that are not otherwise available in the State of Colorado. Profits from the fest will be donated to craft beer industry friend Danny Williams, to assist with medical costs for his ongoing battle with cancer.

3rd Annual Boulder SourFest

Saturday, June 2nd, 2012, Avery Brewing Company

Tickets ($45) go on sale from www.averybrewing.com in early April 2012.

This is one of the only festivals in the world to exclusively feature beers crafted in the exotic tradition of sour ales. The Boulder SourFest is devoted to beers made with sour producing bacteria and/or brettanomyces wild yeast, a brewing style growing quickly in popularity.

Avery Anniversary Party

Sunday, August 5th, 2012, Avery Brewing Company

Tickets go on sale in June and available at the door.

Annual pig-roast and summer party at Avery’s brewery in Boulder. Avery beers, lots of bands and the best BBQ in Colorado!

Inaugural Boulder IPA Festival

Saturday, September 8th, 2012, Avery Brewing Company

Ticket sale date: TBD

The first ever Boulder festival in celebration of Avery Brewing Company’s favorite beer style: India Pale Ale! Avery hopes to gather over 80 different examples of this style from nearly as many breweries in an effort to showcase the quality and tremendous variety to be found within this beloved craft style.

About Avery Brewing:
Established in 1993, Avery Brewing Company has developed a reputation as being one of the most daring and visionary breweries in the nation. They are the brewers of Avery IPA, The Maharaja Imperial IPA, White Rascal Belgian Wheat Ale, Mephistopheles’ Stout and eighteen other year-round and seasonal beers. Please go to www.averybrewing.com for more information on Avery beers.

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'Tis the season for reflecting back upon the year gone by and all of the tasty beers I've sampled this year. While I can't recall exactly how many different beers I've tried this year (over 100) I did keep notes and came up with the list of what I'd consider my top 10 favorite beers of 2011.

Now granted, not all of these beers were actually brewed in 2011, but they were tasted during the year. These beers were generally those that were available in some form or other in the state of Colorado in 2011. Whether it be direct from a brewery, a bottle from a liquor store, or as a sample during a beer festival.

These beers aren't listed in any particular order, but were 10 of the most memorable beers sampled in 2011. See if any of these were on your favorite list as well.

Fermentedly Challenged's Top 10 Beers of 2011

- Odell Friek - a wonderful tart ale offered up in a big 750ml corked bottle. This is a returning favorite and offers a sweet yet somewhat sour flavors of cherries and raspberries.- Crabtree Berliner Weisse - I first tried this as a sample at the Crabtree Brewing Company tasting room. It was wonderfully crisp, slightly sour, and highly refreshing. This beer won a Gold medal at the 2011 Great American Beer Festival and I could see why. Definitely one of my favorite growler refills from this brewery. I hope they keep bringing it back.

- Stone Vertical Epic 10.10.10 - Yes, I know this is a beer from 2010. This is a beer I received as a Christmas gift a year ago and stashed away until this November. This special brew was fruity, grape-like, with floral components and a slightly bitter back end. Quite the pleasant surprise for this Belgian Strong Ale and luckily I have a 2nd bottle of this that I'll savor later.

- New Belgium Kick - I tried a full glass of this at a New Belgium reception at their brewery. This wonderfully sour ale was brewed with pumpkin and cranberries and was the highlight of the tasting session. It was collaboratively brewed along with Elysian Brewing Company of Seattle. I'd love to stock up on this brew.

- Rockyard Buddha Nuvo - This was another collaboration beer made with help by representative from 14 Colorado breweries. This was a bubbly, smooth pumpkin saison made with exotic fruit like the Buddha's Hand and spiced with several different flavors of peppercorns. An expensive, yet very tasty unique saison experience.

- Firestone Walker Double Jack DIPA - When Firestone Walker came to Colorado this year, they were the talk of the town. This California brewer has quite the reputation for fine brews and among all of their beers I've tried this year from them I was very impressed with their Double Jack DIPA. A great nose of herbs, fruit and a touch of spice. Very bitter yet wonderfully balanced with sweet malts. This one was world class.

- Deschutes Hop in the Dark Cascadian Dark Ale - There's just something about a bomber bottle from Deschutes that I keep coming back to. A big coffee roast and hopped up brew that has a smell that reminded me of having coffee in a pine forest. Nice citrusy smell and taste as well. One of the best dark IPA's I've had so far.

- Trinity Brewing Brain of the Turtle - This highly intense sour ale was probably the best sour I've had of the whole year. Super sour doesn't even begin to describe this tart monster. It was a potent blast of funk that I thoroughly enjoyed. My favorite beer of the 2011 GABF.

- Avery Immitus - Word on the street was that Avery's barrel-aged brew Immitus was a hit at the GABF and I got in line to sample this brew. This ale was very tart. The brett hit me with a bunch of sour right up front and I felt was one of the best sours in the show behind Trinity's. Avery has shown that they know how to do sour right. I was very impressed.

- Hoppin' Frog Frog's Hallow Double Pumpkin Ale - I stumbled across this brew at the 2011 GABF also and was blown away at this powerful pumpkin brew. This was a Gold medal winner in 2010 and was back for more. This brew weighed in over 8.4% ABV and had a lot of pumpkiny good flavor. Rich, strong and ba-zinga!

That's my top 10 of the year! There were several others that I thoroughly enjoyed including: Short's Brew Whiskey Sour, Cigar City's Hunahpu's Imperial Stout, Strange Brewing's Cherry Kriek, Crooked Stave's W.W.B.R., Brooklyn Brewery's Black Ops and Jolly Pumpkin's La Roja. All great brews. The great thing about craft beer is, as long as I keep trying new beers I'll never run out of favorites to talk about for next year.

What were your favorites of this year? Granted, I'm sure I didn't get to a lot of different beers I wanted to, but I'd like to hear about what you enjoyed most this year. Please post a comment below or on my Facebook page. Cheers! Here's looking forward to 2012.

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Today is Festivus - a secular holiday celebrated on December 23rd as a way to celebrate the holiday season without participating in its pressures, religious aspects, and commercialism. It's a holiday for the rest of us. So put up that aluminum pole, air your grievances and put on feats of strength today. Here's what's happening around the Colorado beerosphere today Friday, December 23rd, 2011.

If you have some Colorado brewery news items you'd like included in the daily Colorado Beer News post please contact me today. This daily Colorado Beer News page is constantly updated during the day (10am to 5pm) with new stories so stop back here often for all the latest. If you'd like to subscribe to this daily by email, sign-up here.

Grimm Brothers Brewhouse (Loveland) - Starting today, Grimm Brothers will begin bottling their Little Red Cap beer on its new bottling line. According to the Coloradoan, they will fill up to 1,500 22-oz glass bomber bottles in a day. While the bottling line has been ready for a while now, the beer needed for the bottling run wasn't ready yet. Look for bottles of Big Red Cap to be available soon.

Prost Brewing Company (Denver) - Delivery of Prost's brewhouse from Germany has been scheduled for the first week of February barring any unforeseen issues with transportation.Ale House at Amato's (Denver) - is hosting a party on New Year's Eve and they will feature some of the Best of 2011 Rare Beers that night. The $40 entry fee gets you an open bar and a complimentary champagne toast. Location: 2501 16th Street in Denver.

Copper Kettle Brewing (Denver) is closed for the holidays now through January 1st. They will re-open on January 2nd at 3pm. Hope you filled up last night!

Avery Brewing (Boulder) - Tonight is the last night of their 3-day rum barrel-aged Rumpkin tapping. The last keg will be tapped at 5pm down at the tapping room. This is the last tapping of 2011 for this brew at the tap room. Also, Avery released dates for several big events for 2012 (via DenverOffTheWagon.com) - Strong Ale Festival March 9-10, 2012, Boulder SourFest June 2, 2012, Avery Anniversary Party August 5, 2012, Inaugural Boulder IPA Festival September 8. 2012. Lots to look forward to next year!

Crazy Mountain Brewing (Edwards) will be open Christmas Eve until 5pm. They'll be closed on Christmas Day and New Years Day, but open New Years Eve til 5pm. Have you tasted their winter seasonals yet? Stop by for their Snowcat Coffee Stout and the KSKE Red Ale.

Aspen Brewing Company (Aspen) - Come by the brewery at 304 E. Hopkins and sip some tasty brews to the tune of some favorite local musicians: Friday Night 12/23 Hurricane and Thunder take the stage at 8PM. Saturday 12/24 Brad Manosevitz will be playing the apres scene from 4-6PM. Then next week, a NEW YEAR”S EVE CELEBRATION like no other. Live Music with Lighting & Thunder Friday Night starting at 8PM. Mark Nussmeier of Hurricane Carter On NEW YEAR’S EVE, $5 Cover – No Reservations (Capacity is 60 people). Also, their first New Year’s Specialty Brew out of the ABC Brewery is a hard cider fermented with Champagne yeast! Conundrum Red will also be back!

This page is constantly updated throughout the day from 10am to 3pm. Stop back later to catch up on all the rest of the day's Colorado Beer News!

Like what you see here? There's even more Colorado beer happenings on the Fermentedly Challenged Facebook page. Help us grow to 500 "Likes" by year's end!

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Thursday, December 22, 2011

Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen celebrates beer every day but January has been deemed Beer Month at the 14th Street temple of brew. Daily beer tappings at 5:00 p.m. feature new and unusual beers.

Every Tuesday through the month they will showcase themed Beer Bites from 3:00 p.m. until closing. Three 2 ounce pours of selected beers paired with three bite-sized snacks from the Euclid Hall kitchen for only $12.50 in the bar. Whether your preference is Belgians, Sours, Hoppy or Dark, they've got a Tuesday theme for you.

A calendar of their 5:00 p.m. daily beer tappings is attached below.

Euclid Hall Bar and Kitchen was just named one of the top 10 beer lists in America by Esquire magazine. Stop by 1317 14th Street, visit euclidhall.com or call 303.595.4255.January Beer Month Tappings at Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen

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Today is National Regifting Day. Remember that "interesting" office party gift you got last year and never opened? No worries - it's still good! Give that "wonderful" gift to someone else this year! Fruitcake anyone? Here's what's happening around the Colorado beerosphere today Thursday, December 22nd, 2011.

If you have some Colorado brewery news items you'd like included in the daily Colorado Beer News post please contact me today. This daily Colorado Beer News page is constantly updated during the day (10am to 5pm) with new stories so stop back here often for all the latest. If you'd like to subscribe to this daily by email, sign-up here.

Crystal Springs Brewing (Boulder) just released their the first of their "Very Limited Release" series - a Christmas beer - Grandpa Claus' Spiced Ale. Its an amber ale with orange blossom honey added and spiced with sweet orange peel and cassia cinnamon. Its named after Tom Horst's Grandpa Claus (yes, his real name). You can find it on tap at Pizzeria Locale this week and at The Kitchen Upstairs next week. Then it'll be gone! Next up, will be a limited release of a special chili beer. Brewed with poblano chili peppers grown and roasted locally by a friend of the brewer. Its not too hot but picks up the wonderful flavors of a roasted chili pepper. Last of all, their port barrel aged Imperial Stout will be ready by early February.

Crabtree Brewing (Greeley) - It may be snowing hard today, but once the snow tapers off and you dig out, stop by at Crabtree Brewing tonight at 7:30pm for a special Release Party. Today marks the debut of the 4th beer in their 750ml Barrel-Aged Series - Stephanie's Oatmeal Raisin Cookie. This brew was aged for over 10 months in whiskey barrels with caramelized raisins - a perfect warming brew for a cold winter's day. Stop by and purchase a bottle of this limited release before it's gone. Location: 625 3rd Street in Greeley.Pateros Creek Brewing (Fort Collins) - Even snow won't stop them from putting out a new Outlaw tap today. This week's batch is a Pomegranate Kolsch. Come by ski, snowmobile or dog sled, but get down to Pateros Creek for a taste. They'll keep the heat going for ya.

Avery Brewing (Boulder) - today is their 2nd straight day of tapping a new keg of Rumpkin. If you missed it last night or want to get more, Avery will be tapping another keg tonight at 5pm.

Strange Brewing (Denver) - Hey Strange Brewing fans. Now for a limited time you can find their Cherry Kriek on tap at the Wynkoop in LoDo. This brew is in limited supply but can be obtained at the main brewery or at the Wynkoop while it lasts.

Trinity Brewing (Colorado Springs) - Trinity's recent expansion will soon provide them with a lot more capacity for their own beers. Soon, the 20 taps inside the brewery will have four or five fewer guest taps and be hosting even more of their own brews. Growth has been happening much faster than anticipated. By summer 2012, Trinity plans to make their beers available at other local taps and in selected liquor stores. And if growth happens as fast as it is now, they will expand into a new or second site within another seven years. See the full story in the CS Indy.

Butcherknife Brewing Company (Steamboat Springs) - Are you ready for the holidays? Butcherknife Brewing is! Their Brown Ale, Color Rojo (Red), Singleality (dry-hopped IPA), a split batch of IPA, Kolsch, Saison, and blonde ales are all chugging along in the pipeline. Also a special barley wine is nearly ready. Lots of these are earmarked for a Steamboat New Years Eve party - They are excited to serve Steamboat some delicious beverages! Opening in early 2012.

Twisted Pine Brewing (Boulder) - Please come out and help Twisted Pine support EFAA today. They'll be donating 10% of sales all day as well as hosting a canned food drive for Boulder's Emergency Family Assistance Association. The person who brings in the most cans will receive a $25 gift card to Twisted Pine.

Del Norte Brewing (Denver) - is having a party to celebrate the release of their Luminaria Bock on Saturday, January 7th. The party starts at 3pm and the Strange Americans will start on the main stage at 4pm. This is the first of many parties Del Norte is planning. Cost $15 at the door, includes: Souvenir pint glass, three pint tickets, live music and good times.

Echo Brewing Company (Frederick) - This brewery is targeting an early 2012 opening in Frederick, Colorado and construction on their brewing facility is slowly coming along. They just posted 12 new photos of their construction on Facebook today. Check it out and see where you'll be getting some of your beer from in 2012. Location: 5969 Iris Parkway in Frederick.

Christmas Day - A reminder: Colorado liquor stores are legally allowed to be open on Christmas Day. So don't forget to visit your local store and stock up on Colorado craft beer, mead and hard cider for the holidays early.

New Belgium (Fort Collins) - Don't expect to hear where New Belgium is going to expand to just yet. A spokesman for New Belgium says a decision on where to build a second East-coast brewery won't come until late-January or early February now. I guess some decisions take as long as Congress to make.

Equinox Brewing (Fort Collins) has another holiday themed firkin available today. At noon they'll be tapping Eclipse Brown Ale conditioned with lactose (milk sugar) and nutmeg... call it an Eggnog Brown! Also, today they're releasing Pazuzu Stout, a strong, 8.3% abv, hoppy American style stout. Local home brewers Rod and Anne Simpson won Hops and Berries' Hopularity Competition with this recipe and then came in and brewed it with Equinox. They'll be down there at 5pm for the release. Perfect for a chilly, snowy day!

Dry Dock Brewing (Aurora) - Dry Dock has named their New replacement head brewer. It is Doug Hyndman. He's been at Dry Dock over a year and has experience at Green Flash, Ska and Rock Bottom downtown. Dry Dock also just brewed their Poor Richards Ale, just in time for its tapping on Ben Franklin's birthday in January, a Dry Dock tradition.

Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen (Denver) celebrates beer every day but January has been deemed Beer Month at the 14th Street temple of brew. Daily beer tappings at 5:00 p.m. feature new and unusual beers. Every Tuesday through the month we will showcase themed Beer Bites from 3:00 p.m. until closing. Three 2 ounce pours of selected beers paired with three bite-sized snacks from the Euclid Hall kitchen for only $12.50 in the bar. Whether your preference is Belgians, Sours, Hoppy or Dark, we've got a Tuesday theme for you. Euclid Hall Bar and Kitchen was just named one of the top 10 beer lists in America by Esquire magazine. Stop by 1317 14th Street, visit euclidhall.com or call 303.595.4255. See the full tapping list.

This page is constantly updated throughout the day from 10am to 3pm. Stop back later to catch up on all the rest of the day's Colorado Beer News!

Like what you see here? There's even more Colorado beer happenings on the Fermentedly Challenged Facebook page. Help us grow to 500 "Likes" by year's end!

This article came from FermentedlyChallenged.com - a Colorado beer blog.
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Wednesday, December 21, 2011

The 16oz canning revolution is alive and well in Colorado. Crabtree Brewing Company of Greeley, Colorado recently became the latest brewery in the state to can beer in 16oz cans. And for their first choice, Crabtree chose to put a Black India Pale Ale into a can. According to Jeff Crabtree, they wanted to put something a bit different into a can, namely their Crabtree Eclipse Black IPA.

Now Eclipse was not the original name for this beer. It used to be called Syzygy. Syzygy was the name of their barrel-aged black IPA that they put into wine barrels. But wanting to avoid confusion, they decided to change the name to set it apart from their barrel-aged series. Another feature that set this beer apart was that it was canned using a mobile canning line from another company. Crabtree doesn't own a canning line, so they hired Mobile Canning, LLC of Longmont to come in and help them can this batch.

Crabtree Eclipse Black IPA is a hefty brew that weighed in at 7.7% ABV and with a respectable 71.4 IBU's. It's roughly the same recipe as Syzygy only without being stored in a Cabernet barrel for a year. It's billed as a Belgo-style Black IPA with both black and chocolate malts and a gob of hops.Appearance: True to its name, Eclipse Black IPA pours as dark as a winter night with just a hint of brown around the edges. When poured cold out of the can, there was just a small 1 finger light brown head that quickly dissolved. There was even a noticeable hiss when I popped the can open so there seemed to be adequate carbonation.

Aroma: Here is where I had to let this beer warm up slightly to bring out the full aroma. I got a huge whiff of dark roasted malts, nearly coffee only with a slightly more burned touch and with a nice spicy sweet hop build.

Taste: Eclipse started out with a bitter roast and a cling to your tongue coating. The aroma made me believe I was going to get spice, but I didn't detect any in the taste. It's a full, thick chewy brew that has a nice hop bitterness from start to finish. As it warmed, I could pick up on the chocolate malt, but the real highlight here was roasted black malt. There seemed to be more black malt than chocolate.

Overall: Usually in most Crabtree brews, I've gotten a lot of sweetness in the brews. Eclipse, on the other hand, had little of that. This brew had only a trace of sweet malts, but was mostly roasted (dare say charred) malt. I almost wished for this brew to have a bit more caramel, but seeing how the bitter hops were highlighted here, expect to be surrounded by darkness.

I could expect to pair this brew with a nice juicy chunk of beer with a sweet and peppery steak sauce. Perhaps even smoked meats would work well with this.

Being a fan of dark IPA's, Eclipse seemed to fit that style rather well while being a bit dry and heavy on the roasted side. I'd like to see Crabtree continue experimenting with this brew and perhaps draw in a bit more caramel to balance the black malt. The hops were more than adequate here to satisfy the hop head in me, but a full 16oz brew was nearly too much for me at this strength.

Overall, Crabtree Eclipse Black IPA was quite enjoyable. I question whether a 16oz can size was warranted in this strong powerful brew unless you want to share it with a friend. I think a 12oz can in a six pack would do just as well. I'd put a lower ABV brew into 16oz cans instead where you can more easily drink them.

This article came from FermentedlyChallenged.com - a Colorado beer blog.
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